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How to make ‘worms’ more nutritious — and easier to swallow

Mealworms are a nutritious and sustainable source of protein with potential for use in a wide range of foods. Processing mealworms into protein powders can improve their versatility and consumer acceptance while preserving valuable nutrients. Different extraction methods can also be used to obtain protein powders with distinct nutritional properties, allowing mealworm-derived ingredients to be tailored for various food applications.

Consuming whole insects presents challenges, including low consumer acceptance and reduced protein digestibility due to chitin. Processing mealworms into protein powders can improve their usability and make insect-derived ingredients easier to incorporate into conventional foods.

Researchers at Korea University compared four mealworm protein extraction methods: alkali, salt, enzyme, and screw-press extraction. Each method produced powders with different nutritional characteristics, suggesting that the extraction method can be selected depending on the desired protein, lipid, or other nutrient properties.

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